At the present time, communications systems using IC cards for transactions through the Internet or other networks are being developed.
In such communications systems, application programs receiving requests from service providers for providing services using IC cards and executing processing defined by the service providers are executed by a server apparatus.
In response to a processing request, for example, from a reader/writer or a PC (personal computer), the server apparatus performs processing such as user authentication and data encryption and decryption based on the above application programs.
Services using IC cards as described above are performed using SAMs (secure application modules). There is a demand for quickly providing a service by a plurality of SAMs linked together when a plurality of SAMs link up to provide a service using a single IC card.
Further, in this case, there is a demand for suitably managing data to be kept confidential from other parties and data to be disclosed to the public among SAMs storing data and programs relating to provision of services by different service businesses.